Welcome to Sales Performance Conversations! You're about to master the most challenging part of sales leadership: conducting performance discussions and giving feedback to your sales team effectively.
Most sales managers avoid these conversations because they feel uncomfortable. But what if I told you the discomfort isn't your fault?
Engagement Message
When was the last time you delayed a performance conversation with an underperforming rep because it felt awkward?
Here's the truth: our brains are wired to perceive performance feedback as a threat. When a sales rep receives feedback about their numbers or approach, their brain's alarm system activates - the same system that protected our ancestors from physical danger.
This happens even with positive recognition, but it's strongest with corrective performance discussions.
Engagement Message
What signs of this threat response have you noticed in your reps during performance conversations?
When the brain perceives threat, it triggers the "fight, flight, or freeze" response. Blood flows away from the thinking brain to prepare for survival.
This is why sales reps often become defensive, make excuses, or shut down during performance discussions.
Engagement Message
What's one defensive behavior you've observed when discussing missed quotas or poor performance?
The key insight: it's not personal weakness when a sales rep reacts poorly to performance feedback. It's biology. Their brain is literally protecting them from what it perceives as danger.
Understanding this changes everything about how we approach these critical sales conversations.
Engagement Message
How might this knowledge change your approach to performance discussions with your team?
As sales leaders, our job is to structure performance conversations so they feel supportive, not threatening. When reps feel psychologically safe, their thinking brain stays online.
